Hatch-Along - Setting eggs this weekend (Jan5/6) WHOS WITH ME!

[Shellz]

All right Brooster! Nice pic! Should be popping like popcorn throughout the day! Yeah, li'l buggers will roll others around. Don't worry. Will be ok!

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

Best of all...today is a snow day! So the kids and I have nothing to do all day but watch them hatch.

 

[Shellz]

That is awesome! It's great when you can share the experience with family! My teen son had his girlfriend over to study, and a chick was hatching at the time. They got to see its finally push into the world! I think she was more impressed than my son. Like I said, the men want to stage an intervention & take my iPad. I still have iPhone & reading glasses, lol!

 

[purewellspring]

We're in lockdown!!! I went to prepare the incubator last night (trying to get humidity up, since I wasn't sure if I could get it high...this hovabator is all over the map, in my humble opinion). As I got my little egg carton tray ready (cut waaaay down for these banties)...I HEARD PEEPING!!!! possibly more than one chick, couldn't be sure. Ran to get hubby...and it stopped. But I went ahead full speed toward lockdown. Filled every space possible with water, added a sponge, and a little bowl right under the vent so if it dries out I can at least refill that a wee bit without opening up (this bator was going from 40%-16% in a 24 hour period during the first few weeks). Started putting eggs in their final place, and heard lots and lots of peeping! My hubby could hear it over at the kitchen table, so I'm not crazy!



Bator has held temp (reading 101.2, which means it's in the high 99's or maybe right at 100...I had to take my better temp reader/hygrometer out for lockdown...takes up a lot of room, plus, it has a wire for outside temp and I didn't want any little chickies eating it or getting caught in it!) and humidity (reading 58-60%) all night, so I'm feeling encouraged like maybe it will work. From the past few weeks, the temp gauge reads high and humidity low, so humidity should be around 63-65%....is that going to be ok? I don't know how to get it any higher! Plus, now we're locked down, although there's no external pips that I can see. Should I just keep an eye on it, or should I sneak in and add something else to up the humidity?

 

[SilkieSensation]

I see a couple questions on still air humidity. Humidity really depends on your ambient conditions in your area. I found if I let humidity get too much above 70% I had chicks that never dried & babies that drowned before making it out. Other people need 60%+ just to keep from shrinkwrapping. My advice is to run 50-60% to start & add or subtract as necessary by watching your chicks. If membranes begin to look discolored (brown/yellow) it means they are drying out & you need to add humidity. If chicks are out but still wet after several hours your humidity is too high & should be reduced a bit.

 

[SilkieSensation]

More pix of my BF & "HIS" baby

 

[SilkieSensation]

We're in lockdown!!! I went to prepare the incubator last night (trying to get humidity up, since I wasn't sure if I could get it high...this hovabator is all over the map, in my humble opinion). As I got my little egg carton tray ready (cut waaaay down for these banties)...I HEARD PEEPING!!!! possibly more than one chick, couldn't be sure. Ran to get hubby...and it stopped. But I went ahead full speed toward lockdown. Filled every space possible with water, added a sponge, and a little bowl right under the vent so if it dries out I can at least refill that a wee bit without opening up (this bator was going from 40%-16% in a 24 hour period during the first few weeks). Started putting eggs in their final place, and heard lots and lots of peeping! My hubby could hear it over at the kitchen table, so I'm not crazy!



Bator has held temp (reading 101.2, which means it's in the high 99's or maybe right at 100...I had to take my better temp reader/hygrometer out for lockdown...takes up a lot of room, plus, it has a wire for outside temp and I didn't want any little chickies eating it or getting caught in it!) and humidity (reading 58-60%) all night, so I'm feeling encouraged like maybe it will work. From the past few weeks, the temp gauge reads high and humidity low, so humidity should be around 63-65%....is that going to be ok? I don't know how to get it any higher! Plus, now we're locked down, although there's no external pips that I can see. Should I just keep an eye on it, or should I sneak in and add something else to up the humidity?

Your humidity sounds fine. If it should bottom out on you during active hatch you can immediately raise it 10-20% by misting the inside of the lid with hot water from a spray bottle. Do not spray the eggs as this could drown the babies who have already pipped.

 

[chicken pickin]

All this talk about babies drowning has me very nervous. I didnt run humidity too high during the first 18 days it ran between 36-42 sometimes a tad higher/lower. Roughly the same humidity as my last incubation a few weeks ago. When I candled the night before lockdown a few of the eggs had large aicells and some fliud in the aircell. Now Im kicking myself for not writing down which ones it was. Does anyone know if those chicks will be able to make it or are they now destined to drown?

 

[SilkieSensation]

All this talk about babies drowning has me very nervous. I didnt run humidity too high during the first 18 days it ran between 36-42 sometimes a tad higher/lower. Roughly the same humidity as my last incubation a few weeks ago. When I candled the night before lockdown a few of the eggs had large aicells and some fliud in the aircell. Now Im kicking myself for not writing down which ones it was. Does anyone know if those chicks will be able to make it or are they now destined to drown?

If you did not see definite movement of the chick in those eggs than I'm pretty sure they are dead. I have never seen fluid IN the air cell on a live chick. The fluid comes from the chick deteriorating & fluid leaking through the deteriorated membrane.

 

[chicken pickin]

If you did not see definite movement of the chick in those eggs than I'm pretty sure they are dead. I have never seen fluid IN the air cell on a live chick. The fluid comes from the chick deteriorating & fluid leaking through the deteriorated membrane.

Thanks thats good to know. I dont recall if it was in one of the good eggs it probably wasnt. I have 10 good ones that are wobbling the other 9 I marked as quiters so its probably one of those. Thanks again!